The College Board has agreed to a settlement of $750,000 to resolve allegations made by the New York attorney general regarding the violation of high school students’ privacy. The state revealed on Tuesday that the nonprofit organization, which oversees a network of over 6,000 educational institutions, had been accused of selling personal data collected from students who took exams like the SAT and others.
Alleged Violations
Attorney General Letitia James stated that between 2018 and 2022, the College Board generated substantial revenue, amounting to tens of millions of dollars, by licensing students’ information to over 1,000 colleges and scholarship programs. These entities then utilized the data for student solicitation purposes. Despite a state education law enacted in 2014 explicitly prohibiting the commercialization of such data, the College Board allegedly proceeded to sell students’ names, contact details, ethnicities, grade point averages, and test scores via its Student Search Service.
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In 2019 alone, it is reported that the College Board licensed the data of more than 237,000 New York students who participated in its various exams, including the PSAT and advanced placement exams. Additionally, the organization was accused of improperly sending marketing materials unrelated to its exams to students, further exacerbating concerns regarding student privacy.
Attorney General’s Remarks
Attorney General James emphasized the undue stress placed on students during college entrance exams, stating that they should not have to worry about the commercial exploitation of their personal information. The settlement reached on Tuesday encompasses civil penalties, disgorgement, and other related costs. Furthermore, it imposes restrictions on the College Board’s ability to monetize data collected through its contracts with New York City and other school districts for exam administration during school hours.
College Board’s Response
While the College Board did not admit to any wrongdoing, it terminated some of the contested practices in 2022. In its statement, the organization expressed its satisfaction with the settlement despite disagreeing with the attorney general’s interpretation of the law. Notably, there was no finding of misuse of student data. The College Board also defended its Student Search Service, highlighting its significant impact on college enrollment, with users reportedly receiving 29% more admission offers and minority students experiencing a 65% increase in offers.
The resolution of this case underscores the ongoing importance of safeguarding student privacy in the digital age, particularly concerning sensitive educational data collected by large-scale testing organizations.
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